Welcome to Litsy!

My February #doublespin was a reread because I want to finish this series this year. It‘s the story of girls at a creepy boarding school in Victorian England flighting to take back some power over their lives by accessing magic from a secret (and, of course, dangerous) realm. I loved it the first time and loved it again! Looking forward to the rest of the series.

I listened to this book and loved the narrator. I was looking for more Libba Bray after finishing The Diviners series. Gemma Doyle's story reminds us that good people do bad things and forgiveness is for the forgiver. I love the mix of historical fiction and fantasy.

I really enjoyed this book! It had fun mystical aspects that brought whimsy but still an underlying sinister tone that I tend to enjoy.

I had this book a long time ago, and I don't know what happened to it. So I checked it out from my library and I enjoyed it a lot!!! 4/5 stars!!!!

I think this is the first gothic book I‘ve read that is not a novella. And, unlike the novellas, I really enjoyed this one. I like the trope of “teen girls pretending to be witches and then become witches”, and the tie in to Greek mythology was fun. A haunting read. 4.5⭐️

Women who have power are always feared.

In every end, there is also a beginning.

This is easily the best book I've read so far this year. It heartbreaking and inspiring and beautiful. I meant to read this years ago, and I have no idea why I didn't. I love when main characters have red hair, because that's something I was bullied for all through school. It warmed my heart that Gemma didn't have to go through that. I'll definitely be reading this again, and adding it to my collection.

I loved this series. Great writing. Loved the time period too. I really need to reread these as well.

An interesting combination of fantasy, light horror, and historical fiction, with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure…Recommend this to fantasy fans who also like Sherlock Holmes or Mary Russell.

Going back through Libba Bray's catalogue after The Diviners series blew me away

There‘s a lot to celebrate on my podcast today because it‘s Week THREE of Pride Month 🌈 and EPISODE ONE HUNDRED of the show!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Megan Tripp joins me to chat about Libba Bray‘s A Great and Terrible Beauty — its emphasis on young women making choices and having agency, its subtle hints at queerness, its problematic treatment of people of color, and more. ✨ Link to listen in bio!

I read this many years ago and I remember that I loved it, but couldn't remember anything about the plot. I never read the sequels, so I decided a reread was in order. Soooooo glad i decided to do that! Libba Bray is such a fantastic writer and creates such atmospheric worlds

I read this in high school and loved it, but the library didnt have the sequels at the time. I brought them all home from work on a whim and I'm pleasantly surprised that this has been every bit as awesome as I remember.

I made it through all of a chapter in my new book before the kids were up from their naps and deciding to join me in the yard today...

I remember reallllllly enjoying this series when I was younger. I liked them enough to keep them in my collection all this time (almost 15 years). I've decided to reread it and see if it's just as captivating now. I'm 126 pages in and so far it's holding it's place in it's shelf! Libba Bray's writing really transports you to another time and place.

Nice poem!

This was a beautiful story, extremely well written and with relatable, multi-layered, characters. Libba Bray is a 'watch-for' author!

I recently finished A Great and Terrible Beauty. First Read Harder book of the year! This was my historical fiction for task 7. It's a fun book but I loved the way it dived into the trap that was being a girl in the Victorian era most. A full review is up on the blog today!
www.allmybalancingacts.com
#books #booksbywomen #readharder #readharder2020 #historicalfiction

A day late but I thought I'd share this here ☺️
Day 1: A Great and Terrible Beauty.
Day 2: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Reading this because I followed a rabbit hole to the authors bio on Good Reads and thought if her bio is this good her book must be the bomb. Oh and also I‘ll be busy with this weekend. #mrbook1inamillon #litsypartyofone #24B4MONDAY

I definitely didn‘t think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. Boarding schools are not really my thing but I felt like this one helped add to the atmosphere of the novel.

A great and terrible beauty by libba bray was better than I anticipated. It's a boarding school ya fantasy with the ultimate depiction of frenemies. Though the beginning is a tad off-putting with the mishandled portrayal of colonialism, the book quickly picks up with a murder and a new life. What particularly drew me in is how the girls fight and befriend one another in the context of their society and what proper girls are supposed to be. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

So so

Hold on to that light

This is a book my students love, but I just couldn't find a passion in. The pace was alright and the characters are fine, I just wasn't wowed by this one.

Libba Bray giving her keynote speech to close out the evening.

#novateenbookfestival #bookfest #ya

While technically a reread, I read this so long ago I forgot most of it. Libba Bray weaves a beautiful, enchanting story of a girl named Gemma who discovers a magical world she never dreamed existed. But not all is as it seems in this fantasy world as she unravels a mysterious cover story to help her understand her destiny. While this is an easy YA read, there‘s a surprising amount of depth as Gemma discovers we all have light and darkness in us

As I stayed up way too late falling down the YouTube hole, I decided why the heck not do the #24b4monday challenge? Better late than never lol 😂 I‘m going to a birthday party on Saturday night, so I‘m going to try and get in as much as I can between that and work today. I have about an hour left of the tagged book, but I can‘t decide what to read next! Help me decide?

#HelloThursday
1. Historical fiction and fantasy
2. One?! I‘m currently on a Stephen King kick
3. The Perks of Being A Wallflower, one of my all time faves. It‘s enjoyable for people who aren‘t big readers and for people who are
4. Usually I‘d say never say never, but I CANNOT get into Manga
5. Tagged! Almost done and loving it

“Magic?” Elizabeth asks. “They were witches?”
“Not as we‘ve come to think of witches. They would have been mystics and healers, women who worked with herbs and delivered babies. But it would have made them suspect. Women who have power are always feared,” she says sadly.

#FriyayIntro
1. Loved this whole trilogy
2. Rarely
3. A whole 58 degrees, which I wouldn‘t mind if it was sunny.
4. Mashed potatoes and baby peas
5. Hi Littens 👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾 have a great weekend

Literally overnight I developed flu-like symptoms. I feel awful but I dragged my butt to the urgent care walk-in clinic to get some answers and, hopefully, some meds. I finished Pet Sematary last night (review forthcoming after I sleep my way through this flu) and between that and the Brilliance trilogy, I felt like this YA fantasy fiction was a good next choice. Hope everyone else‘s Wednesday isn‘t being spent in urgent care with a mask on 😷

This book was surprisingly enjoyable. It was mysterious with hints of terror and nicely written. There were several twist and turns that I did not expect. Now I got to find the second book to this series, 😂 #victorian

Woke up this morning and decided to read a few chapter before going to work. This book is quite interesting. I am still trying to figure out what‘s going on... #currentlyreading#agreatandterriblebeauty#victorian

Day 17: #weather

#quotsyfeb19
@TK-421

I'm doing laundry tonight and found these two Libba Bray books on the give away shelves. Score!

Day 7: #safe

#quotsyfeb19
@TK-421

#Safe
#QuotsyFeb19
@TK-421

I really liked this! I had picked up YEARS ago as a teen and never really finished it, I‘m so glad I have now. This has got magic, boarding schools and mystery, and my heart. I will definitely be continuing in the series straight away. Only thing I didn‘t care for was the “romance” but I can forgive it since I really enjoyed everything else.
4.5/5 🌟

Day 3: #velvet

#quotsyfeb19
@TK-421

1) Just one? Maybe Mulan or Home Alone or Death Becomes Her
2) Matilda and The Princess Bride (the only movies that I actually liked more than the books)
3) Allegiant...the others books weren't great either, but Allegiant was the worst.
4) Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, Meryl Streep...although I'm not overly enthralled with any actors of actresses.
5) tagged
@SailorMoon #frideas

Book 5 of 2019: Libba Bray is always a hit or miss with me, but I remembered liking this one years ago (although it wasn‘t a story that stuck with me, honestly) and it seems that sentiment holds true. I enjoyed reading this and can‘t wait to see what the other two books hold! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gansey and I have been reading the tagged book between cleaning. I read this book years and years ago, but I think I‘m enjoying it more this time around.

Prompt: Ancient
#QuotsyJan19
@TK-421

Far from ok. All the twists are easy to guess. There is no surprise element. I don't know whether it's prejudice or not, I couldn't connect with any characters.They are all so sickeningly flawed. Yes, I love flawed characters and am great fan of Gillian Flynn who is expert in flawed characters. But this one, there are not a single character that doesn't make me sick of them. Plot's little interesting though, only reason it's 3 stars.

Currently on page 170 and I still don't have single clue on where this book is headed to 😑. Is it only me that finds some of the comments made by the main character offensive?? Not in a prudish sort but the way the author insults other languages and country ( which is little/ ok a lot personal as am from India) is rude. Do I find the characters annoying? Absolutely!

But am still reading... N reading.... Can't really stop once I started any book.

1) The uncut and extended version of The Stand by Stephen King.
2) Most of the books I would choose are being adapted in some form lol, but younger me would have been thrilled if they adapted A Great and Terrible Beauty.
3) Lyn
4) Realistic skills: speed reading, photographic memory, or superior storytelling skills would be great.
@alisonrose #sundaysurvey